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Q: How many portable projectors does Biology own?
A: 3.
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Q: What kind of projectors?
A: We own the following:
- (1) Plus U2-1110
- (1) Epson Powerlite 700c
- (1) InFocus LitePro 210
The Epson and Plus projectors are the more desirable. They can do 1024x768 with millions of colors.
The LitePro is better than nothing. However, it works best at a screen resolution of 640x480, and higher screen resolutions, if they work at all, will not be very good-looking.
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Q: When should I use them?
A: If you're giving a computer-based (or video-based) presentation in a classroom with no built-in AV support. Generally, if there's already a projector in the room, you should use that instead.
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Q: How do I reserve them?
A: Call the Biology Office at x6-3100.
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Q: Who gets priority?
A: Biology class instruction and seminars get highest priority.
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Q: Where else can I get a projector?
A: Many rooms have built-in projectors. If the room you're using has one, you might want to use it.
The Volen Center office (Volen 206) has a projector for use by CCS members and affiliates. For technical support, see the answers for the Plus U2-1110 projector below.
Academic Technology Services might also help you out. Our understanding is that they will lend projectors without charge for official Brandeis courses (including journal clubs with Brandeis course numbers), if they have any available.
To request help from Media Services, start at the Classroom AV setup form. Also make note of their deadlines for requesting A-V service.
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Q: Can you lend me a laptop?
A: Not one that you'd want to use.
Most of the professors and labs in the department have useful laptops, I generally tell students to borrow one of those.
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Q: Can I use a PC laptop?
A: If it has a VGA output, yes.
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Q: Can I use a Mac laptop with the Epson projector?
A: Yes, if it meets one of the following conditions
- Has a built-in VGA output, e.g. new G3/G4 laptops.
- Has an output that can be converted to a VGA output:
- older PPC laptops with DB-15 connectors (there should be a small gray adapter in the bag with the projector that says "NEC multisync" on it)
- even older laptops (500 series, 5300) with the VDI output (there's a longer grey adapter cable in the bag as well)
- and the new iBook (2001) with an adapter cable (see separate question about "iBook adapter")
- Has a video output (composite or S-video), e.g. later iBooks
- Has a converter to produce a video signal, e.g. early iBooks with the MyView converter
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Q: Can I use a Mac laptop with the Plus projector?
A: See previous answer about the Epson projector. Note the following, though:
- For Macs with the HD-15 video port, there's a matchbox sized adapter with dip swtiches in the bag.
- For the really old Mac laptops, you'll have to grab the adapter from the Epson bag, and use it along with the dipswitch adapter.
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Q: What are the most likely settings for a Mac laptop?
A: Set the LCD monitor to 1024x768 (most G3 laptops) or 1152x768 (G4 Titanium). Set the external monitor to 1024x768 (75 Hz). Turn video mirroring on.
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Q: What adapter do I use with an iBook that has a video port?
A: You will get tbe best results if you connect using the VGA adapter cable. Part numbers, prices, and details below are from The Apple Store for Education.
- VGA Display Adapter M8639G/A ($17.10)
The Apple VGA cable was specially designed to allow users to connect their iBook to an extra VGA monitor or external projector
(equipped with VGA) for 24-bit video-mirroring of your iBook. The VGA
cable plugs into the VGA video-out port built into your iBook.
Important: Compatible only with iBooks having a VGA port. Your iBook may
also have an A/V port for composite video-out. Use an Apple A/V Cable for
composite video-out. The VGA cable is for VGA video-out only.
I finally got to personally test this. 2 comments -- this A/V cable works both with the iBook and the (2002) flat-panel iMacs; also, you need to stick the cable all the way in, as there's an intermediate position that appears to be "in", but is not functional.
If you want to connect to a television, you use the A/V port (it also
doubles as the speaker port) with this adapter. There might be some iBooks with only an A/V port and not a video port.The computer projectors we have will accept composite video in, but it won't look as nice as using VGA in.
- Apple AV Cable M8434G/A ($17.10)
The Apple AV cable was specially designed to allow users to connect their iBook to a large screen television using the AV port. This cable is required if you wish to display to a television.
Important: Compatible only with iBooks having an A/V port.
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Q: Can I use a Mac laptop with the LitePro projector?
A: Generally, yes. The LitePro has a converter box which will accept a signal from either VGA (labelled "PC") or the older Mac monitor connect (HD-15). You need to dial the circular converter appropriately.
New Macs should just use the "PC" setting. For reasons that escape me entirely, sometimes it works better if you use the mac setting and an HD-15 to VGA converter. Go figure.
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Q: How do I redirect the output of my PC laptop to the projector?
A: Most (but not all) PC laptops have a function key combination that switches between:
- output to built-in LCD only
- output to external monitor only
- output to both built-in and external simultaneously
I've seen this as Fn-F3 and Fn-F4.
For more complicated setup issues, you can usually access the monitor settings in Windows by right-clicking in the desktop window to get the "properties" of the desktop.
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Q: All I get is a blue screen projected image (no signal from computer's monitor output)
A: Use the menu controls and make sure that the projector is set for input from the computer monitor connector (might be called "RGB"), not "VCR" or "S-video".
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Q: I see only the background on the projector; all the desktop stuff is on the laptop LCD screen (Mac)
A: This is a feature, not a bug.
Most Mac laptops are capable of producing 2 separate video signals. What you probably want to do is invoke video mirroring such that the same image is sent to both the laptop LCD (so you can see it) and to the projector (so the audience can see it).
If you're using a reasonably recent Mac that has a control strip, and you started the computer with an external monitor plugged in, and the resolution of both monitor outputs is the same (e.g. 1024x768, millions of colors), then you should get a little widget in the control strip to toggle video mirroring on and off.
Step 1. Restart the computer with the external monitor (projector) cable plugged in.
Step 2. To reset the Monitor resolutions, open the "Monitors and Sound" control panel. You may need to adjust both the internal and external settings. With new projectors and laptops, 1024x768 is the resolution of choice.
Step 3. Turn on mirroring. If you do this through the Monitors and Sound control panel, you want to use the "arrange" tab in the control panel. Take the picture of one of the screens and drag it on top of the other.
In extreme cases, none of the above may work. At least one user reported that upgrading to Mac OS 9.1 helped. See:
http://discussions.info.apple.com/webx?50@248.GF6baAOicrg^3@.eec04b3/8
See also:
Under some circumstances, you may want to turn video mirroring off. It is said that the hardware actually works twice as hard when doing video mirrors (it writes everything independently to each display), so if you are video-intensive task running (playing a full-screen movie), you might not want to use mirroring. See
http://www.macintouch.com/pbg4reader6.html
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Q: What's video mirroring? (mac)
A: see answer to previous question
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Q: (mac) WIth video mirroring off, I'm having trouble moving the cursor around.
A: With video mirroring off, your Mac treats the two screens as being part of a larger "virtual desktop". The cursor will be on one of the two screens. To move it to the other screen, drag it past the edge of the screen.
Which edge? Look at the "arrange" subpanel of the "Monitors" or "Monitors and Sound" control panel. There'll be a little picture of how the screens are arranged.
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Q: How do I adjust the frequency for an external monitor (projector)?
A: Some people have had problems hooking up Mac laptops to projectors at other institutions (where, often, the support people know nothing about Macs). It is sometimes suggested to try reducing the frequency of the monitor output.
If you just use the control strip widget, only the "Recommended" settings for an external monitor will be shown. You need to open the Monitors control panel while the external monitor or projector is attached. Then, above the list of pixel resolution and frequency settings, choose "All". You will then be able to select the "suboptimal" settings that might get the projector to work (e.g., 1024 by 768, 60 Hz instead of 75 Hz).
Also see the caveat above about using the LitePro -- some projector will accept higher pixel resolutions than their native mode, which then tend to look crappy.
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Q: Do the projectors work with a VCR?
A: Yes.
Use either the S-video or audio-video cables to connect, depending on the VCR. S-video is usually better if you have the connector.
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Q: Do the projectors work with a video camera?
A: Yes. See previous answer.
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Q: (LitePro): Why does the text on the projected image look really ragged?
A: The older, LitePro projector has problems with some older laptops if you try to split the video signal between the LCD screen and the projector. Usually this is most noticeable with the text. Try sending the image only to the projector.
Also, you may see this effect with the LitePro if your laptop is set to 800x600 (it's interpolating the image). Set your laptop video resolution to 640x480 for best results with the LitePro.
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Q: When should TAs obtain laptops from guest speakers and test them with the projector?
A: Earlier than 5 minutes before the seminar!
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Q: Should I test my computer with the projector beforehand?
A: see preceding answer.
Go down by the Bio office sometime well before your seminar and see if you can borrow the projector long enough to test it. There's a convenient conference room next door...
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